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Saturday, 10 June 2017

Guest Author Debbie Jinks of Great Britain

I am a UK girl, dragon lover, wildlife
lover, fanatic reader and now writer also, and a bit of a dreamer. Coffee and
chocolate are my downfall, but I enjoy walking and running so that kind of makes
up for it. That’s my excuse anyway!

I never set out to be a writer, well not stories as such. I was a professional
singer/songwriter for 15 years, singing was always my passion from childhood. It
took a major change in my life to take me in the other direction. I suffered a
head injury which left me with no sense of smell or taste, this is called
Anosmia. It was such a devastating and life changing condition that I began a
blog as a way of releasing my sadness and loss. As I wrote I realised, not only
was it a therapeutic thing for me to do, but also that I loved writing. My
writing slowly came to life from there and as this happened I came back to life
too.

I now have a writing website, and also continue my Anosmia blog
alongside it. I am in the process of writing a fantasy novel and have written
some short stories in that genre also. Having taken a fantasy writing diploma
in which I achieved a distinction, I truly feel I have found my writing niche.
In a crazy way if my Anosmia had never occurred my writing wouldn’t have
either. I suppose even though I could have done without all that pain and heartache,
had I not gone through it I would never have found myself at this point.

Now I try to write every day weather it turns out to be good or not
so good I find it immensely satisfying. I want to take my writing to another
level now which is why I’m writing a book, and I’m so pleased with my short
stories. Maybe I’ll write an autobiography about my Anosmia one day. But for
now my fantasy writing world is enough.

Now You See Me (copyright is held by the author. Used with permission)

The grass was damp under his feet as in
his haste Rory had forgotten to put his shoes on. He walked over to the two
Gnomes his feet already starting to feel cold. “What are you two playing at?”
He whispered under his breath, “Are you trying to wake up mum and dad?”

“No, my grumpy brother here won’t let me
play with this bracelet, even though I found it in the first place.” Lawrence
said

“Let me have a look then,” said Rory.
Len the oldest of the brothers reluctantly handed the bracelet to him. “I’ve
never seen this before, where did you find it?”

“In the grass under the oak tree, where
the farmer grazes those silly, illiterate sheep of his.”

“Don’t be mean” said Milly, landing on
Rory’s shoulder, “they can’t help it if they don’t understand you, even I don’t
sometimes”

“That’s because you are a scatty little
Sprite!” said Lenny.Rory ignored the
bickering and put the bracelet into his jacket pocket. “I’ll give this to mum
tomorrow maybe she can ask around and find out who it belongs to. But enough of
this, my feet are freezing, it’s the middle of the night and I have school in
the morning!”

Crystal rubbed up against Rory’s legs.
“Where’s that dragon when you need him she purred, he could warm your feet up.”

“I’m not letting Casper near my feet
he’ll burn them.”

“Oh well just a thought, I’m off to see
if there’s anything to chase”.

“Did I hear my name being called Master
Rory?”

“Casper where have you been, and don’t
call me master you know I don’t like it”.

“Ok”, Casper shrugged.

“His feet are cold” said Milly “do you
think you could warm them up without burning his toes off?”

“No sweat, get it no sweat ha, ha, sit
on the path master,….um Rory and I’ll soon have them warm as toast.”

“I’d prefer them not to be toasted Casper, but
ok my toes have gone numb now.”

“Well it probably wouldn’t hurt if he
did burn them in that case,” Lawrence said.

Once Rory’s toes were warm enough for
him to walk back to the house, he dashed in before they got cold again.
Groaning inwardly he realized the whole entourage had followed him too. Crystal
was still out chasing things however. “At least that’s one less for now”, Rory
thought.

After a sleepless night Rory got ready
for school. “Thanks to you lot I’m done in this morning” he said. “I did try to
snooze but you were making such a racket even that didn’t happen.” They all
looked at him sheepishly as he stomped out of the bedroom door.

Downstairs his mum was making breakfast.
“Did you sleep in this morning love? You’re late for your breakfast.” His mum
couldn’t see Rory’s magical friends so he couldn’t exactly tell her the truth.

“Yes mum my bed was so comfortable, I
didn’t want to move.” He knew that was a pretty lame excuse but it would have
to do, he was too tired to come up with a more convincing one. After a rather
rushed breakfast, he grabbed his schoolbag and dashed off to catch the school
bus. “By mum,” he called hurriedly. In his haste he’d forgotten all about the
bracelet in his pocket.

Focusing on his lessons that morning was
almost impossible, but he tried to look interested before the school bell
sounded for break time. He want and hid out at the end of the school playing
field it was warm with a gentle breeze and he needed the fresh air to revive
him. He hadn’t been there long when a girl he didn’t recognize walked over to
him. She was small with short blonde hair and a stubborn look on her face.
“I’ve come over here for some peace and quiet” she said. “Those silly giggly
girls drive me mad!”

“Well you’re going to be popular with an
attitude like that.”

“I don’t want to be popular” exclaimed
the girl, “I want to be left alone!”

“Well don’t let me stop you” said Rory
and walked further down the field.

He hadn’t been there long when Milly
materialized on his shoulder making him jump. “Milly why did you make yourself
invisible, you know I’m the only one can who see you, and you lot”, he said
quietly as the others appeared out of the grass. “Why are you all here? I’ve
told you before not to come to my school.”

“Well you just said yourself you’re the
only one that can see us so there’s no danger” said Len.

“Anyway,” piped up Casper, “we felt bad
about last night so thought we’d come and cheer you up a bit.”

“Yes I suppose we are a bit sorry”
admitted Lawrence reluctantly.

“Ok you’re forgiven, but you’d best go
in case that grumpy girl over there thinks I’ve gone crazy talking to myself.”

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SHORTS Vol.1

The Ship Breakers - Breaking gigantic ships by hand is dangerous and gruelling work. Many workers are children. The wages are low. ( This story received Honorable Mention in the WFNB's short story competition) Lloyd and the Baby - A bachelor finds an abandoned baby. What does he do with it? The Shattered Figurine - Detective Josephine (Jo) Naylor is told where to find the next body with a plea to help the killer stop this madness. The Two Grumpy Old Man Cafe - The meals are delicious, the atmosphere perfect and the insults are free. Available at Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.

SHORTS Vol.2

Five engaging short stories that will keep you wanting more by this author. *Four Boxes of Memories – Lloyd Minister moves to a nursing home with his most important possessions and he can’t take everything with him. *Reaching the Pinnacle - Grandfather and granddaughter hike the highest mountain in their province. Around the campfire, the young lady has something important to tell her Gramps. *Pioneers in a Hurry - A fond recollection of three grown men acting like boys on an all-night camping trip. Being mischievous comes naturally. *Near Dead - Detective Jo Naylor finds herself in the dark. She’s not alone. Someone wants her dead. *Six Jutlands and a Conestoga - The Verhoeven family have everything they own in a wagon, children and all. The mysterious west beckons. Available at Amazon. Please click on the book cover.

SHORTS Vol.3

Letting Go - a son deals with his deceased father's "boxes of memories". One Bedroom Ark - Noah Coyne owns a convenience story, the last customer of the night will change his life. Two Boys, One Wagon and a Secret - In the 50's, a young boy's pride was a red wagon. What do they discover one day when they are out filling it up with returnables? No Dying Today - Det. Jo Naylor and her partner search for the man that tried to kill her last night. The Food Bank - some people have too much food, others not enough.Available at Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.

Blooger's Award.

Thank you Susan Toy.

Family and Friends.

Nieces Pam Cottrell and Jackie Beers

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What's New?

Please check out the new Detective Jo Naylor serialization on the Page bar above. New additions coming soon. Follow the story here on the Scribbler.

Paperback copies of Dark Side of a Promise are available at Chapters - Regent Mall, Fredericton, NB. Cover to Cover in Riverview, NB. And from the Author.

Allan Hudson

About Me

My mother taught me to read, to like books, when I was very young. She also taught me how to write. I grew up in the country, even went to a one-room school which was right across the road from our house. She was the teacher. The days I missed were few. I enjoy reading and some of my favorite authors are Bryce Courtenay, Beth Powning, Dennis LeHane, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cara Brookins, Susan Toy, Jason Lawson, Lockie Young, Chuck Bowie, Harlan Coben, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk.Writing is so much fun and even though I started later in life, I am so happy to realize my dream. Having this blog so I can share other people's work gives me great pleasure.

I've had many adventures in my life. I've travelled throughout North America, gone skydiving, rock climbing, wilderness camping. I craft stained glass and I enjoy woodworking. I'm blessed with many good friends. I live in the seaside community of Cocagne, New Brunswick, Canada. My wife's name is Gloria. My son's name is Adam and my stepsons' names are Christopher (Mireille) and Mark (Nathalie) Young. My grandchildren are Matthieu, Natasha and Damien. I love them all.Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy my blog. You can reach me by leaving a comment and/or your email address below and I'll respond.

A new Drake Alexander novel

Coming soon...

The Douglas Kyle Memorial Award for Fiction

My story - The Ship Breakers - received Honorable Mention in the Douglas Kyle Memorial awards for New Brunswick Writers Federation's short story category. It's featured in SHORTS Vol.1

The Dark Side of a Promise

Dark Side of a Promise is an edgy, international thriller. A tale of Revenge! Drake Alexander follows the trail of one of the world’s deadliest men which leads him to the unlikeliest locations – Bangladesh, the country of rivers. Bartolo Rizzato murdered his best friend’s sister. Why is he in Asia? It can only be to steal or kill! When Alexander finds him, will he deliver on his promise? (Go to comment box in Novel section above to see what one reader says about the novel) Only $4.99 from Amazon. Please CLICK on the book cover.